Sunnyvale commissions endorse recommended FY25‑26 budget, allocate funds for parks, golf and pickleball restriping

Sunnyvale finance staff presented the recommended fiscal year 2025-26 budget on May 21, and the Arts Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission voted to forward the plan to City Council for final approval. Finance Director Matthew "Matt" Pollan said the recommended plan covers nearly $780,000,000 in total revenues and about $705,000,000 in expenditures and that the city—s funds are balanced across a 20-year financial plan required by charter and council policy.

Why it matters: the recommended budget sets capital project priorities that affect parks, recreation programming, golf operations and public art funding across Sunnyvale. Commissioners asked detailed questions about park renovation funding, the Park Dedication Fund—s volatility, proposed pickleball restriping, golf fees and long-term subsidies, and how the recommended numbers feed into council review and final adoption.

The presentation

"The charter mandates that the city's budget is balanced through 10 years, and council policy takes that a step further and goes another 10 years for 20 years," Finance Director Matt Pollan said, describing the plan as a project-focused budget cycle with some service-level adjustments. Pollan said all funds are balanced and that the city is forecasting investment earnings in the current interest‑rate environment of roughly 4–5 percent.

Assistant Finance Director Dennis Jha outlined park-specific funding. He said the Park Dedication Fund—which collects park-in-lieu fees from development—cannot be used for maintenance but can be used for renovations and open-space projects. "The funds can't be used for maintenance, but they can use for renovation for park projects," Jha said. He told commissioners the recommended plan adds roughly 40% to the scheduled park renovations in the 20-year plan and that about 79 park renovation projects are funded in that plan, with approximately $245,000,000 allocated to park projects over 20 years. Jha also said an allocation of about $122,000,000 is identified over the 20-year plan for golf infrastructure projects.

Park and recreation details and community requests

Staff described several ongoing and planned park projects funded from the Park Dedication Fund: Cornish/"Corn Palace" Park (project budget $5,750,000, near completion), Lakewood Park renovation (in design; total budget shown around $16–18 million), community center grounds renovations scheduled for summer 2026, and $200,000 earmarked in the budget for pickleball court restriping pending outreach to select locations. Jha noted that Park Dedication Fund revenues are volatile because they depend on the timing of development fee payments.

Public comment and commissioners' questions focused on pickleball access, swimming availability and field surfaces. Emily Danner, a member of the public, urged the commission to expand free pickleball access and called pickleball "an extremely popular sport" and an efficient use of public infrastructure. "Pickleball is an extremely popular sport," Danner said, arguing that restriping existing tennis or basketball courts is a quick, low-cost way to expand access.

Park Superintendent Jim Stark described golf trends: "The golf courses are booming as far as play," he said, noting that golf revenues rose since the pandemic and that discounted programs for youth and high school teams exist. Staff told commissioners the golf enterprise ended a larger general-fund subsidy recently and that a smaller, programmed subsidy of roughly $500,000 per year is included later in the 20-year projection as a contingency; staff said that subsidy level will be revisited annually.

Several commissioners asked for more granular revenue breakdowns (for example, tennis vs. golf revenue, and fees from field and park rentals) and for clearer estimates of how many pickleball courts will be restriped once locations are chosen. Staff said some of those figures are tracked at the program level and agreed to provide additional breakdowns. Trenton Hill, the recreation manager overseeing public art, told commissioners the public art fund is restricted and subject to legal guidelines; he recommended commissioners consult the City Attorney—s office for specific allowable uses. "The public art fund itself is a restricted fund," Hill said.

Process and next steps

Pollan and Jha outlined the budget schedule: an all-day City Council workshop is scheduled the day after the commissions' meeting, a public hearing is planned in June and final adoption of the budget, together with the city's utility rates, is scheduled for June 17. Staff said council may consider budget supplements and adjustments between the recommended and adopted budgets; commissioners were told staff will return with additional detail if design or bid results require budget changes for individual projects.

Commission actions

Both commissions voted to forward the recommended budget to City Council. The Arts Commission approved forwarding the recommended budget (4 yes, 0 no, 1 excused absence). The Parks and Recreation Commission likewise approved forwarding the recommended budget (3 yes, 0 no, 2 excused absences). Commissioners made the motion and second on the record and a roll-call was recorded by the clerk.

Ending

The recommended FY25-26 budget advances to Council review following the commissions' motions. Staff and commissioners signaled additional outreach and reporting on specific line items (park-by-park design details, pickleball site selection and revenue breakdowns) before final Council adoption on June 17. The commissions asked staff to return with requested program-level revenue and usage data to inform future decisions about field surfaces, park scope changes and priorities.